Tobacco manipulating machine



May 9, 1967 w. RUDSZINAT ETAL 3,318,313

TOBACCO MANIPULATING MACHINE Filed Oct. 12, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.7

7n venfors W Quin/m2 Gil/7M1" 4 t:

y 1967 w. RUDSZINAT ETAL 3,318,313

TOBACCO MANIPULAT ING MACH INF.

Filed Oct. 12, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet z Inventors 14,11 Rue 2342100 Gain/11 [1 y 1967 w. RUDSZINAT ETAL 3,318,313

TOBACCO MANIPULATING MACHINE Filed Oct. 12, 1964 4 SheetsSheet 5 y 1967w. RUDSZINAT ETAL 3,318,313

TOBACCO MANIPULATING MACHINE Filed Oct. 12, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4Inventors A/J f Quill/I7 6 Li nfi 4/44 {b United States Patent 3,318,313TOBACCO MANIPULATING MACHINE Willy Rudszinat, Hamburg-Lohbrugge, andGiinter Wahle,

Hambnrg-Bramfeld, Germany, assignors to Hanni- Werke Korber & Co. KG,Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany Filed Oct. 12, 1964, Ser. No. 414,044

Claims priority, application Germany, Get. 11, 1963,

H 50,523; Oct. 12, 1963, H 50,537; Jan. 11, 1964,

H 51,340; Jan. 15, 1964, H 51,371

16 (Zlaims. (Cl. 13184) The present invention relates to tobaccomanipulating machines in general, and more particularly to a centrifugaltobacco rod making machine. Still more particularly, the inventionrelates to improvements in apparatus for transforming a stream of loosetobacco particles into a continuous tobacco rope or rod of uniformdensity and constant cross section.

In a centrifugal tobacco rod making machine, a stream of loose tobaccoparticles is fed axially and thereupon radially to form an annular ropewhich is discharged substantially tangentially to form a straight rodadapted to be wrapped in a web of wrapper material to form a wrappedtobacco rod. Such rods may be used in the production of cigarettes,cigars, cigarillos and/or cheroots. A serious drawback of conventionalcentrifugal rod making machines is that they are incapable of producinga tobacco rod of uniform density and/ or constant cross section.Therefore, the ultimate product (be it a cigarette, a cigar or anotherrod-shaped smokers product) is of inferior quality, or the rod issuingfrom the centrifugal machine must be trimmed in one or more steps toremove surplus tobacco and to form a rod of uniform cross section. Theprovision of trimming devices adds considerably to the initial andmaintenance cost of the machine, especially since the trimming devicesmust be equipped with complicated sharpening and adjusting attachments.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention toprovide a very simple, rugged, compact and reliable centrifugal tobaccorod making machine which is capable of producing a tobacco rod adaptedto be wrapped without trimming and adapted to be subdivided in order toyield sections of identical weight and/ or constant density per unitlength.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement forfeeding tobacco into the interior of a centrifugal rod making machineand to construct the machine in such a way that it is capable ofproducing a satisfactory rod even if the feed of tobacco particlesoccurs intermittently or at a rate which varies at regular or irregularintervals.

An additional object of the instant invention is to provide acentrifugal tobacco rod making machine which is capable of breaking upany agglomerations of tobacco particle-s which are being fed thereto andwherein such dispersal of agglomerated tobacco particles takes place ina fully automatic way.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved rotorwhich may be utilized in a centrifugal rod making machine of the aboveoutlined characteristics and to construct the rotor in such a way thatits component parts disperse any and all accumulations of tobaccoparticles while such particles move toward the rod forming zone.

An additional object of our invention is to provide a tobacco rod makingmachine which may be readily combined with conventional wrapping,severing, stacking, packing and conveying devices which constitutecomponent parts of a complete cigarette machine, filter cigarettemachine or cigar machine, the expression cigar Patented May 9, 1967being intended to embrace also cigarillos, cheroots and similar smokersproducts.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a centrifugaltobacco rod making machine wherein the tobacco rod which issues from therod forming zone may be advanced by means of simple conveyors.

Briefly stated, one feature of our invent-ion resides in the provisionof a centrifugal tobacco rod making machine which comprises a rotoracting not unlike a radial blower and including a pair of coaxiallymounted side walls defining between themselves a space having asubstantially radially outwardly extending annular portion, a statorincluding an annular sealing member surrounding the side walls anddefining therewith an annular chamber communicating with the radiallyoutermost end of the annular portion, .a rotary foraminous memberadjacent to the annular chamber and disposed in a plane which issubstantially normal to the rotor axis, means for directing a stream oftobacco laden air centrally through one of the side walls and into theannular portion of the rotor space, means for withdrawing air throughthe foraminous member so that the tobacco particles form a rod which isaccommodated in the annular chamber, and an opening provided in thesealing member to permit evacuation of the tobacco rod which is thenconveyed to a wrapping mechanism or into the rotor space of a secondcentrifugal machine wherein the treatment is repeated to produce a rodof even more uniform density and cross section.

It will be seen that, basically, our invention serves to transform amass of loose tobacco particles into a continuous tobacco rod andcomprises feeding a stream of tobacco laden air lengthwise, subjectingthe tobacco particles which are contained in the stream to the action ofcentrifugal force so that such particles travel fanwise radiallyoutwardly, confining the travelling particles in an annular space andwithdrawing the air preferably in the axial direction of the annularspace or in another direction other than radially outwardly to build upa tobacco rod of gradually increasing cross section, and discharging thetobacco rod substantially tangentially with reference to the annularspace. Such tobacco rod may be wrapped into a continuous length ofwrapper material to form a wrapped tobacco rod or, alternatively, theparticles forming the rod may be introduced into a second air stream inorder to repeat the above outlined procedure and to obtain a tobacco rodof more uniform density and cross section.

If the particles travelling with the air stream contain agglomerationsof tobacco, agglomerations may be broken up while the particles travelunder the influence of centrifugal force. This can be achieved byconveying the agglomerations through the annular space defined by therotor whose side walls are preferably provided with ribs or similarprojections serving to break up the agglomerations before the particlesreach the annular space.

The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an axial section through a portion of a centrifugal tobaccorod making machine which is constructed in accordance witha firstembodiment of our invention the section being taken on a larger scalealong the line II of FIG. 4;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section through the rotor of themachine, substantially as seen in the direction of arrows from the lineIIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of a slightly different machine, withportions of the stator and rotor removed;

FIG. 4 is a smaller-scale front elevational view of the machine shown inFIG. 1, further showing the wrapping, severing and take-off devices forthe tobacco rod;

of an apparatus which embodies the machine of FIG. 7

and which is utilized to feed tobacco into a machine of the type shownin FIG. 1, or 6.

Referring to FIGS.- 1, 3 and 4, there is shown a continuous rod typecentrifugal cigarette making machine comprising a rotor which is drivento rotate about a horizontal axis 2 and includes a funnel-shaped outerside wall 1. This side wall surrounds a conical inner side wall 3 whichis spaced therefrom so that the two side walls define a space 4including a cylindrical upstream portion which extends centrally of theside Wall 1 and terminates at the tip of the side wall 3, and a radiallyoutwardly diverging annular downstream portion which surrounds the sidewall 3. .The conicity thereof is about 45 degrees.

The outer side wall 1 is mounted in antifriction bearings 5 and 6provided in the neck portion of a stator or housing 7 which surroundsthe side wall 1. The drive for this side wall 1 includes a pulley 20which is driven by a belt to rotate the side wall 1 at a high speed. Thestator 7 comprises an annular sealing member 8 having a radiallyinwardly extending flange 9 which abuts against the maximunudiameter endof the side wall 1 and an axially extending flange 10 which surroundsthe flange 9 so that the two: flanges bound two sides of an annularcollecting chamber 35 located at a considerable distance from the axis2. The third side of the chamber 35 is bounded by a rigid foraminousannulus located in a plane which is preferably normal to the axis 2, and

the fourth (inner) side of the chamber 35 is open so that it maycommunicate with the radially outermost end of the space 4. The chamber35 may be said to constitute the outermost annular portion of the space4, and it extends outwardly beyond the side walls 1 and 3.

It will be noted that the chamber 35 is of rectangular cross section andits radial dimension is greater than the axial dimension. The stator 7further comprises a fixed cover portion 19 which is sealingly connectedwith the flange 10 of the sealing member 8 and is provided with anarcuate channel 11 communicating with the chamber 35 through theperforations of the annulus 15.-

The channel 11 also communicates with 'an arcuate passage 12 connectedto the intake end of a suction conduit 13 leading to a suctiongenerating fan 14.

The annulus 15 is secured to a rotary carrier 16 which is'eoaxial withthe rotor walls 1, 3 and is rotatable in antifriction bearings 17, 18provided in the cover portion 19. The drive for the carrier .16 includesa pulley 21 adapted to be driven at the speed at which the tobacco rod44, formed in the chamber 35, issues from the machine. The drive for thecarrier 16 is preferably independent of the drive for the rotor walls 1,3, i.e., the speed of the carrier need not be the same as that of theside wall 1 or 3. The hub of the carrier 16 accommodates antifrictionbearings 22, 23 for a drive shaft 24 which is fixed to the side wall 3and is driven by a pulley 25. The rotational speed of the side wall 3need not be the same as that of the side wall 1 and/ or carrier 16 and,in certain'instances, at least one of these driven parts may rotate in adirection counter to the direction of rotation of the other two parts.

The clearances between the side wall 3 and carrier 16 are minimal, andit will be noted that the lower end face of the side wall 3 (as viewedin FIG. 1) abuts against the adjacent end face of the carrier. Theclearances between the parts 1, 3, 16 and the .stator 7 are also minimalso that the stream. of tobacco laden air entering through the inlet 26of the space 4 must flow toward the annulus 15 and deposits tobacco inthe chamber 35. The stator 7 is provided with apertures 87, 88 foradmission of air.

The sealing member 8 of the stator 7, i.e., the axially extending flange10, is provided with two openings in the form of cutouts 29 and 30. Thatside face of the flange 10 which is adjacent to the upstream end of thecutout 29 is substantially tangential to the annulus 15 and is adjacentto the upper stringer of an endless conveyor belt 31, this upperstringer constituting the bottom wall of an elongated trough in whichthe tobacco rod is led on its way from the chamber 35. The belt 31 istrained around a series of rollers 31a, 31b, 31c and one of theserollers is driven so that the upper stringer advances in the directionindicated by an arrow 33. The tobacco rod 44 rotates with the annulus 15in the direction indicated by an arrow 32, see FIG. 3. The speed of thebelt 31 at least approximates the speed of the annulus 15 which isdriven by the carrier 16 to rotate in a clockwise direction.

The machine further comprises a baffle plate 34 which is adjacent to aportion of the annulus 15 and extends between the cutouts 29, 30. Thisbaffle plate fills the corresponding portion of the channel 11 andthereby prevents suction generated by the fan 14 from influencing thetobacco rod 44 which is discharged onto the upper stringer of the belt31. The width of the belt 31 exceeds the width of the chamber 35 so thatthis belt overlies the stator at both sides of the channel. A roller 36is accommodated in the chamber 35 between the cutouts 29, 30 and servesto deflect a second endless conveyor belt 38 which is trained around twoadditional rollers 39, 40. The shaft 36a of the roller 36 is rotatablein needle bearings 37 provided in the stator 7. The distance between theperiphery of the roller 36 and the upper stringer of the belt 31corresponds to the height of the tobacco rod 44 at the point where therod is being discharged from the chamber 35. The axis of the shaft 36ais parallel to the axis 2 and the lower stringer of the belt 38 islocated at a level above the upper stringer of the belt 31. Thedirection in which the belt 38 is driven by one of the rollers 36, 39,40 is indicated by an arrow 41. The upper stringer of the belt 38passesthrough the cutout 30 and its lower stringer is adjacent to that sideface of the flange 10 which is located at the downstream end of thecutout 29. The speed of the belt 38 at least approximates the speed ofthe annulus 15 and belt 31, and the width of the belt 38 approximatesthe height of the chamber 35, as seen in the axial direction of therotor.

The upper stringer of the belt 31 supports and guides the leadingportion of a cigarette paper tape or web 43 which is stored on a supplyreel 42 and is being paid out at the speed of the belts 31, 38. Theroller 40 is followed by a wrapping mechanism 45 which wraps the tape43'arounds the tobacco rod 44 to form a wrapped tobacco rod 46 which issevered by a revolving cutter 47 to yield sections 46a of requisitelength. Such sections are fed into consecutive grooves of a take-offdrum 48 which arranges the sections in two parallel rows and feeds themon to a further processing station. The sections 461 may constitutecigarettes of unit length or multiple unit length, cigar fillers,cheroots, cigarillos or similar smokers products. The exact constructionof the wrapping mechanism 45 and of other auxiliary equipment needed inthe wrapping of tobacco rods forms no part of the present invention.

Since the cutouts 29, 30 are provided in the axially extending flange10, the air stream which passes through the annulus 15 does not tend toforce tobacco particles radially and through the cutout 29 so that theupper stringer. of the belt 31 may retain the tobacco rod 44 in a pathwhich is tangential to the chamber 35.

The rotor acts as a radial blower and compels the particles of tobaccoentering through the inlet 26 to flow radially outwardly and toward thechamber 35. The provision of the fan 14 is necessary in a centrifugalmachine which operates at high speed in order to produce a rapidlymoving tobacco rod. It is also possible to replace the fan 14 by ablower or another compressor device which is then connected to a duct 49leading to the inlet 26.

Since the annulus preferably rotates at the speed at which the tobaccorod 44 issues from the chamber 35, the likelihood of clogging themachine is very remote, particularly because the baflie 34 enables thebelt 38 to deflect the tobacco rod without any resistance on the part ofthe suction stream which passes into the channel 11. Actually, thetobacco rod 44 would tend to escape through the cutout 29 even if thebelt 38 were omitted because the rod is subjected to the action ofcentrifugal force and, once its leading en-d passes through the cutout29, the remainder of the rod will follow in response to rotation of theannulus 15.

The belts 31, 38 may be replaced by different types of conveyors, forexample, by disks whose peripheral surfaces serve to advance the tobaccorod in the desired direction.

The machine of FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 is constructed and assembled in such away that the tobacco rod 44 issuing from the chamber is ready to bewrapped in cigarette tape 43 or the like and then forms a wrappedtobacco rod. If the quantity of tobacco per unit length of the rod 44exceeds the quantity required per unit length of the ultimate product,the rod 44 is subjected to further treatment during which its lengthincreases with a simultaneous reduction in diameter. This can beachieved by placing an additional endless belt past the belt 31 and bydriving this additional belt at a speed which exceeds the speed of thebelt 31. Alternatively, the belt 31 may be driven at a speed exceedingthe speed of the annulus 15 so that the tobacco rod 44 is thinned outimmediately after it emerges from the cutout 29.

The inlet 26 of the space 4 is connected to the discharge end of thefeed duct 49 which delivers a stream of tobacco laden air into therotor. The feed duct may receive tobacco directly from a conventionaldistributor or from a second centrifugal machine which is similar to themachine of FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 with the exception that, instead of beingwrapped, the tobacco rod issuing from the second machine is showeredinto the feed duct 49.

The machine of FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 operates as follows: 7 The carrier 16and the side walls 1, 3 are driven in such a way that the r.p.m. of theside wall 1 preferably exceeds the -r.p.m. of the side wall 3, and thatthe rpm. of the side wall 3 exceeds the rpm. of the carrier 16 andannulus 15. It is assumed that the parts 1, 3 and 15, 16 rotate in thesame direction, i.e., in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3 andas indicated by the arrow 32. The side walls 1, 3 may rotate at a speedwhich exceeds several times the rotational speed of the annulus 15. Thebelts 31, 38 are driven at the speed of the carrier 16 so that two sidesof the tobacco rod 44 emerging from the cutout 29 are bounded by partswhose speed equals the speed of tobacco particles forming the rod. Theduct 49 feeds a stream of tobacco laden air (arrow 53) so that thestream enters the inlet 26 lengthwise and is caused to expand fanwisewhile flowing substantially radially along the revolving side wall 3 ina direction toward the channel 11. The particles of tobacco areuniformly distributed in the stream, and such distribution is improvedwhile the particles advance fanwise between the side walls 1, 3 and onto the annulus 15 whereon they form a tobacco rod whose thicknessincreases in a direction toward the opening or cutout 29. The air isfree to pass through the annulus 15 and enters the channel 11 to flowinto the passage 12 and to be withdrawn through the conduit 13 (see thearrow 54 in FIG. 4). Any agglomerations of tobacco particles whichhappen to enter the feed duct 49 are broken up 'while the particlesadvance through the annular portion of the space 4 between the sidewalls 1, 3

5 so that the rod 44 is assembled of loose tobacco shreds which willform a body of uniform density and of constant cross section at the timethe rod is ready to leave the chamber 35 by passing through the cutout29.

The duct 49 may receive tobacco from a feeding apparatus of the typedisclosed in our copending application Ser. No. 372,964, filed June 5,1964. Such apparatus comprises a weighing device which dischargesaccurately measured batches of tobacco, and the batches are thereupontransformed into a continuous stream which is of constant cross section.If the inlet 26 receives a stream of constant or nearly constant crosssection, the machine of our present invention will produce a highlysatisfactory tobacco rod which can be wrapped in cigarette paper tape orthe like without trimming. The thickness of the tobacco rod 44 may bechanged by regulating the feed of tobacco particles into the air streamwhich enters the feed duct 49 and/or by regulating the rotational speedof the side walls 1, 3 and carrier 16. As stated above, the rotationalspeed of the side wall 3 and/ or 1 may exceed once or more than once therotational speed of the carrier 16 and annulus 15; therefore smallirregularities in the rate of feed will be compensated for while thetobacco particles advance toward the chamber 35 to form a layer ofuniform density. This will be readily understood since the internalsurfaces of the side walls 1 and 3 will break up any accumulations oftobacco particles and the material of such accumulations will bedistributed along the full length of the chamber 35 before the resultingtobacco rod issues through the cutout 29. The manner in which theuniformity of the tobacco rod 44 may be improved still further will bedescribed in connection with FIG. 2. It was found that the machine ofFIGS. 1, 3 and 4 will produce a tobacco rod of uniform density andconstant cross section even if the feed duct 49 receives batches oftobacco at regular intervals rather than in the form of a continuousstream. Such batches are dispersed in the duct 49, in the first (axiallyextending) portion of the space 4, and in the radially outwardlydiverging annular portion of the space 4 so that the tobacco rod 44issuing from the cutout 29 is ready for wrapping without trimming. Ofcourse, the intervals between consecutive admissions of tobacco batchesinto the feed duct 49 should not be excessively long, but thecentrifugal machine of the present invention is fully capable ofproducing a tobacco rod of uniform cross section even though the batchesare fed at distinct intervals rather than in the form of a continuoustobacco stream. Thus, and assuming that the inlet 26 admits a mass ofair which contains a comparatively large accumulation of tobaccoparticles followed by a mass of air which contains less tobacco, therapidly revolving side walls 1, 3 will compensate for such irregularfeed to insure that the tobacco rod 44 is built up gradually andcontains just as much tobacco as is needed in the ultimate productunless, of course, the operators desire to produce a tobacco rod whichis to contain more tobacco than required per unit length of a wrappedcigarette r-od. In such instances, one proceeds in a manner as pointedout above, i.e., the belt 31 may be driven at a speed which exceeds thespeed of the annulus 15 or the belt 31 is followed by a rapidly drivenbelt which cooperates with a wrapping mechanism.

Once the tobacco rod 44 passes through the cutout 29, it comes to reston the upper side of the wrapper tape 43 and is advanced into andthrough the wrapping mechanism 45 to be transformed into a wrappedtobacco rod 46 which is severed by the cutter 47 to yield sections 460of requisite length. Such sections are delivered into the pockets of thedrum 48 and may be conveyed to storage, to a filter cigarette machine,to a packing station or to another destination. While the rod 44 leavesthe chamber 35 by passing through the cutout 29, it is not subjected tosuction because the baffle 34 seals the corresponding part of thechamber 35 from the channel 11.

Therefore, the lower stringer of the belt 38 can readily divert the rodonto the tape 43 to guide the rod tangentially of the chamber 35 and onto the wrapping mechanism. The separation of therod 44 from the annulusis assisted by centrifugal force which tends to hurl the particlesforming this rod onto the upper side of the tape 43 resting on the upperstringer of the travelling belt 31. The belt 38 actually performs thefunction of a stripping device by insuring that all such particles whichform part of the rod 44 become bodily separated from the annulus 15 andadvance in the tangential path above the wrapper tape 43.

It is clear that the machine of FIGS. 1,3 and 4 may comprise one or twoadditional belts or walls which extend between the lower stringer of thebelt 38 and the upper stringer .of the belt 31 to form a partly or fullyenclosed passageway and to prevent lateral expansion of the tobacco rod44. Looking at FIG. 3, such additional belts or walls will be providedin planes which are parallel to the plane of the drawing. In otherwords, the rod 44 which issues from the chamber 35- may be bounded attwo, three or even four sides. If the rod 44 is to be bounded at threeor four sides, the additional belt or belts are preferably driven at thespeed of the belts 31, 38.

A very important advantage of our machine is that the annulus 15 mayconsist of rigid material in contrast to the construction of manyconventional centrifugal machines wherein the tobacco particlesaccumulate on a perforated belt which surrounds the tobacco receivingchamber. Such belts are very sensitive and must be guided and tensionedwith utmost accuracy. Also, the belts 31, 38 which remove the tobaccorod 44 need not travel, with the rotor and are readily accessible at alltimes.

Since the annulus 15 is located in a plane which is normal to the axis2, the compacting action of air sucked through the annulus and into thechannel 11 is uniform in all zones of the rod 44. Such uniformcompacting action of suction is also due to the fact that the radialdimension of the chamber 35 exceeds the axial dimension so that suctionis effective in the axial direction of a fiat annulus of tobaccoparticles which are hurled fanwise into the chamber 35. ,Were theannulus 15 provided around (rather than at one axial end of) the cham- Vber 35, the effect of suction would vary at the same rate at which thetobacco rod is being built up in the chamber 35. Suction generated bythe fan 14 may be regulated in a manner known per se.

It was found that an apparatus including one or more centrifugalmachines of the type shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 is capable of producing atobacco rod which maybe wrapped without trimming.

The annulus 15 may be replaced by a non-permeable wall if the airentering the chamber 35 is withdrawn in a direction otherthan parallelto the axis 2. For example, the annulus 15 may be replaced by a solidwall if theair stream is deflected radially inwardly'and into channelsprovided in the carrier 16 and/or cover portion 19. The tobaccoparticles which form the rod 44 cannot follow the sharply deflected airstream and remain on the solid annulus to be evacuated through'thecutout 29. Also, the annulus 15 can be replaced by a nonpermeable memberif the air is evacuated through perforations provided in the side wall 1or 3 inwardly of the chamber 35. The tobacco particles are under theinfluence of centrifugal force and continue to travel into the chamber35 to form the rod 44. It can be said that the air entering the chamber35 may be evacuated in any direction other than radially outwardly andthrough the flange 10.

In accordance with a further modification of our invention, the openingor cutout 29 need not be located at or near the lowermost point of thechamber 35,.i.e., at a levelbelow the axis 2. Thus, and as shown in FIG.

5, the tobacco rod 55 may be led tangentially of the chamber so that itleaves the stator at the uppermost point of the chamber, namely, at alevel above the rotor axis. The rotor 57 corresponds to the rotor ofFIG. 1 and again rotates about a horizontal axis. The tobacco rod 55 isguided by a lower conveyor belt 56 which corresponds to the belt 38 ofFIG. 3 and by an upper conveyor belt 58 which corresponds to the belt31. However, in the machine of FIG. 5, the belt 58 merely serves todirect the rod 55 toward the wrapping mechansim 45a which includes anendless belt 59 located downstream of the belt 56 and serving to supporta cigarette paper tape 62 which is trained around a deflecting roller 61located in a gap 60 between the left-hand end turn of the belt 56 andthe right-hand end turn of the belt 59. Otherwise, the construction ofthe machine shown in FIG. 5 corresponds exactly to that of the machineshown in FIGS. -l, 3 and 4.

:FIG. 6 shows a third continuous rod type centrifugal cigarette makingmachine wherein the rotor defines a differently configurated space 63.The side walls 64, 65 of this rotor resemble two turntables withadjacent end faces. The side wall 64 has a hollow hub section 64a sothat its interior constitutes an extension of the space 63. The annularportion of this space which is located in a plane normal to the rotoraxis receives a stream of tobacco laden air from a feed duct 67corresponding to the duct 49 of FIG. '4. The side wall 64 is rotatablein antifriction bearings 68 provided in a fixed housing or stator 70whose axis 69 coincides with the common axis of the side walls 64, 65.The side wall 64 is driven by a pulley 71 and a belt which passesthrough an aperture 86 provided in the stator 70. The cover portion 70aof the stator accommodates antifriction bearings 72 for a rotary carrier73 which is adjacent to the side wall 65 and supports a rigidforamin'ous annulus 74 disposed in a plane normal or substantiallynormal to the axis 69. The carrier 73 is driven by a pulley 75, and theside wall 65 is driven by a shaft 76 and a third pulley 78. The shaft 76rotates in antifriction bearings 77 provided in the hub of the carrier73.

The hub section 64a of the side wall 64 accommodates the cylindrical endportion of a nipple 66 which is fixed to the feed duct 67-and consistsat least in part of air-permeable material.

The cover portion 70a is provided with an annular channel 81 and with anannular passage 8'2 corresponding to the passage 12. The fan which drawsair from the passage 82 is not shown in FIG. '6. In contrast to theconstruction of the centrifugal machine shown in FIG. l, the annularsealing member 83 of the stator 70 does not abut against the radiallyoutermost end face of the side wall 64 so that these two pars definebetween themselves a wider annular gap 84 which communicates with anannular internal compartment 85 of the stator and hence with theinterior of the nipple 66 because the latter is provided withperforations 93. Thus, the fan which is connected to the conduit 70bdraws air from the space 63, from the interior of the nipple 66 viacompartment 85, and from the atmosphere via aperture *86 and gap 84. Thequantity of air entering through the aperture 86 is rather small and theparticles of tobacco fed into the space 63 cannot escape through the gap84. The air drawn through the gap 84 serves to press the tobacco rodagainst the annulus 74.

The stator 70 comprises inwardly extending spokes 94, which support ahub 70c for the antifriction bearings 68 in which the side wall 64rotates. The cylindrical portion of the nipple 66 may but need not beperforated; it suffices if air can escape through that portion of thenipple which is located above the upper bearing 68, as seen in FIG. 6.The arrows 96 indicate the directions in which the major part of airdelivered by the duct 67 flows through the compartment '85, between thespokes 94, 95 and into the annular gap 84. In fact,

U the arrangement may be such that all of the admitted air escapesthrough the perforations 93 (arrows #96) and the space 63 receives astream of loose tobacco particles which impinge against the side wall 65and thereupon move fanwise radially outwardly toward the annulus 74.

The manner in which the tobacco rod is conveyed from the annular chamber35a is the same as shown in FIG. 3. The side wall '65 is preferablydriven at a speed which is less than the speed of the side wall 64 butexceeds the speed of the annulus 74, and this annulus is driven by thecarrier 73 to rotate at the speed at which the tobacco rod issues fromthe machine. The axis 69 is horizontal and the tobacco rod may bedischarged at the uppermost point or at the lowermost point of thechamber 35a, i.e., at a level above or below the axis 69. The machine ofFIG. 6 may be used to form a tobacco rod which is wrapped in a mannershown in FIG. 4 or to form a tobacco shower which is thereupon fed intoa second centrifugal machine, for example, into the feed duct 49 of themachine shown in FIG. 4.

An important advantage of the machine shown in FIG. 6 is that the majorpart of the air stream is caused to bypass the annular portion of therotor space 63. It was found that the distribution of tobacco particlesin the annular chamber 35a is improved if the annular portion of therotor space 63 contains a smaller percentage of air and a largerpercentage of tobacco. This is insured by rerouting some or even all ofthe air entering at 67 so that such air may flow through the compartment85 and through the gap 84 instead of flowing through the annular portionof the space 63. In addition, the stream of air entering through the gap84 and passing through the annulus 74 presses the tobacco particlesagainst this annulus and insures that the particles will rotate with thecarrier 73 to form a rod of gradually increasing cross section, as seenin the direction in which the annulus 74 rotates. The gap 84 may butneed not accommodate a sieve or a similar foraminous member to preventescape of tobacco particles into the compartment 85. Thus, and insofaras the particles of tobacco are concerned, the compartment 85 isproperly sealed from the duct 67 and chamber 35a so that only air canfiow in the directions indicated by the arrows 96.

FIG. 7 shows a centrifugal machine which is practically identical withthe machine of FIG. 1 and wherein the corresponding parts are identifiedby similar reference numerals, each followed by a prime. This machineserves to form a tobacco shower of great uniformity which is ready to befed into the duct 49 or 67. The belt 31 of FIG. 3 is replaced by anendless belt 99 whose upper stringer advances in the direction indicatedby an arrow 33 to advance the tobacco rod 97 emerging from the openingor cutout 29'. The material of the rod 97 is showered at the left-handend turn of the belt 99 to be fed directly into the duct 49 or 67, oronto an intermediate conveyor which advances it to a feed duct. Themachine of FIG. 7 need not be provided with a wrapping mechanism and theupper stringer of the belt 99 may be shorter than the upper stringer ofthe belt 31 shown in FIG. 3. It is clear that the duct 49 or 67 may beomitted and that the belt 99 of FIG. 7 may shower tobacco directly intothe inlet 26 (FIG. 1) or into the nipple 66 (FIG. 6). Thus, the shower98 may be fed by gravity, pneumatically (duct 49 or 67) or mechanicallyby resorting to suitable belts or the like. Also, the belts 38', 99 ofFIG. 7 may be used to force the rod 97 into the space defined by therotor of the centrifugal machine shown in FIG. 1, 5, 6 or 7.

It is further possible to provide the machine with an adjustable lockingdevice which may resemble an arcuate member movable into and from alocking position in which it seals the cutouts 29 and 38' shown in FIG.7. When the cutouts are sealed, the machine forms an annular rope oftobacco which accumulates on the annulus 15'. At the same time, thebelts 38' and 99 are moved away from the sealing member 8. When themachine has formed a rope of uniform cross section, the locking deviceis moved to an inoperative position and the rope is discharged from theannular chamber adjacent to the annulus 15' to be thereupon advancedalong the upper stringer of the belt 99 which is then returned to theposition of FIG. 7. Such machines will be used in a train of centrifugaltobacco rod formers and will serve to deliver the rope to one of aseries of additional machines, for example, to the machine of FIG. 1, 5or 6.

Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown the centrifugal machine of FIG. 7combined with a feed arrangement which serves to deliver tobacco into aduct 49. The machine is constructed in the same way as shown in FIG. 7and produces a shower 98 which is discharged over the lefthand end turnof the endless belt 99. This machine constitutes the first one of aseries of centrifugal machines, and the shower 98 may be fed into theduct 49 of the machine shown in FIG. 1. The duct 49 receives tobaccofrom a duct 49" whose intake end communicates with the discharge end ofa pressure conduit 50' connected to the pressure side of the fan 14'.The suction side of the fan 14' is connected with a suction conduit 13'which withdraws air from the internal chamber of the centrifugalmachine. Thus, there is provided a closed pneumatic system wherein acurrent of air circulates from the pressure side of the fan 14', throughthe pressure conduit 50' (arrow 54'), through the supply duct 49",through the feed duct 49' (arrow 53), through the centrif-ugal machine,through the suction conduit 13 and on to the suction side of the fan14'.

The upper side of the supply duct 49" receives a shower of tobaccoparticles 52 from a distributor 51. Such particles form with the air atobacco laden stream wherein the particles of tobacco are contained inmore or less uniform distribution. The flow pattern is such that thetobacco particles enter the machine through the distributor 51 and aredischarged therefrom into a member such as the duct 49 as noted above,by the belt 99 in the shower 98. The distribution of tobacco particlesis improved while they travel through the space defined by the rotor ofthe centrifugal machine so that the shower 98 is much more uniform thanthe shower issuing from the distributor 51. Therefore, the shower 98will enable a second centrifugal machine, for example, the one shown inFIG. 1, to form a highly satisfactory tobacco rod 44 which is ready forwrapping without requiring a trimming or equalizing operation.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it will be noted that the conical internalsurface of the side wall 1 is provided with straight radially extendingprojections in the form of ribs or corrugations 27 which are adjacent tobut spaced from similar corrugations or ribs 28 provided on the conicalinternal surface of the side wall 3. The crests of the ribs 27, 28 arerespectively located on the peripheries of two imaginary cones 90, 91which are separated from each other by a rather narrow annular clearance89. In other words, the ribs 27 remain spaced from the ribs 28 while theside walls 1 and 3 rotate at identical speeds or with reference to eachother whereby the particles entering through the inlet 26 and passingthrough the axially extending portion of the space 4 (FIG. 1) must passthrough the clearance 89 and/or through the radially outwardly diverginggrooves between the ribs 27 and 28. The ribs contribute to greateruniformity of the tobacco rod 44 by insuring that any agglomerations oftobacco particles are broken up before the particles reach the annularchamber 35. Also, the ribs compensate for irregularities in the feed ofloose tobacco particles into the axially extending portion of the space4, particularly if the side walls 1 and 3 rotate at different speeds.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4, the ribs 27, 28 are located in planeswhich pass through the common axis 2 of the side walls 1 and 3. However,it is equally possible to replace such straight ribs by helicallyconvoluted ribs or by ribs which are in part straight and in partarcua-te. Furthermore, it is possible to omit the ribs 27 or 28 so thatone of the side walls 1, 3 will have a smooth intern-a1 surface.

Of course, the effectiveness of the rotor 1,3 as a radial blower is notas satisfactory as that of a blower wherein the annular space betweenthe internal surfaces of the rotor walls is divided into a series ofradially extending channels. However, the provision of the conicalclearance 89 contributes greatly to more uniform distribution of tobaccoparticles because the particles are free to travel'through the clearance89 and to be distributed uniformly along the entire circumference of theside wall 1 or 3. Also, the reduced effectiveness of the rotor 1, 3 as aradial blower is of'little consequence since the fan 14 assists therotor in forming the rod 44 at a high speed such as is desirable in amodern cigarette rod making machine.

Of course, and as mentioned above, the distribution of tobacco particlesin the chamber 35 is improved still further if the rotational speed ofthe wall 1 exceeds the rotational speed of the wall 3, or vice versa,and if such side walls rotate at a speed which exceeds at least slightlythe speed of the carrier 16 and annulus 15.

The distance from the suction fan 14 to the cover portion 19 and thelength of the duct 49 will depend on the layout of a given tobaccoprocessing plant, on the configuration and dimensions of the distributorwhich feeds tobacco into the duct 49, and/or on the strength of thesuction air stream which is produced by the fan 14.

In FIG. 6, the internal surfaces of the side walls 64, 65 are located inplanes which are substantially normal to the common axis 69 of the sidewalls, and such internal surfaces are respectively provided withprojections in the form of annular rib-s or corrugations 79, 80 whichperform the same function as the ribs 27, 28 of FIG. 2. The ribs 79, 80extend toward but short of each other and compel the tobacco particlesto travel fanwise in a meandering path whereby the ribs break up anyagglomera-tions which might have been admitted through the nipple 66. Itwill be noted that the ribs 79 alternate with ribs 80 so that theradially outwardly diverging annular portion of .the space 63 is ofZig-z-ag shaped cross section.- This annular portion of the space 63communicates with a first portion which extends centrally throughtheside wall 64 and accommodates the cylindrical end portion of the nipple66.

It is clear that the annular ribs 79, 80 may be replace-d by helical orradially extending ribs as long as they do not comein actual engagementwith each other while the side walls .64, 65 rot-ate with reference toeach other.

It is also possible to replace the ribs 27, 28 and/ or 79, 80 by sets ofprojections in the form of gear teeth or the like. For example, theteeth on the internal surface of the side wall 64 may be staggeredradially with reference to the teeth on the internal surface of the sidewall 65. Of course, the clearances between the adjoiningvteeth should besufiicient to allow for travel of tobacco particles into the chamber 35or 35a without subjecting the particles to undesirable comminutingaction. If the side walls rotate as a unit, the teeth -on the side wall64 may be staggered only circumferentially, but not necessarilyradially, with reference to the teeth on the side wall 64 so that therewill be no relative movement between the two sets of teeth. However, theconstructions shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 are normally preferred because theturbulence in the annular portion of the rotor space 4 or 63 is muchstronger and the particles of tobacco are much more likely to bedispersed with greater uniformity to form a tobacco rod of constantdensity and cross section. When the ribs 27 or 79 rotate with referenceto the ribs 28 or '80, they will not touch each other but will create aturbulent air flow which contributes greatly to complete dispersion ofall agglomerations and to uniform distribution of particles on their wayinto the chamber 35 or 35a. In order to insure that such turbulencescannot prevent outward movement of tobacco particles, the side walls 1,3 and 64, 65 are preferably driven in the same direction, even thoughthey may be driven at different speeds, whereby the particles rotate ata speed which is somewhere between the speed of the side walls 1, 3 or64, 65 and simultaneously advance toward the chamber 35 or 35a.

When the apparatus comprises a single centrifugal machine, the duct 49or 67 preferably receives a stream of tobacco laden air wherein thetobacco particles are dispersed with reasonable uniformity to make surethat the rotor can take care of eventual minor irregularities in thefeed of tobacco. However, when the apparatus comprises two or moreserially arranged centrifugal machines, the feed of tobacco particlesinto each but the last machine may be effected at regular or irregularintervals and the distribution of tobacco particles entering all but thelast machine may fluctuate within a wide range.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge,readily adapt it for various applications without omitting featureswhich fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic andspecific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptationsshould and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and rangeof equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A centrifugal tobacco rod making machine, comprising rotor meansincluding a pair of walls having a common axis of rotation and definingbetween themselves a space having a substantially radially outwardlyextending annular portion; a stator including an annular,

cl-osu're means surrounding said walls and defining an annular chambercommunicating with the radially outermost region of said annularportion; a rotary foraminous annulus having asurface adjacent to saidchamber and being disposed in a plane substantially normal to said axis;means for directing a stream of tobacco laden air axially through one ofsaid walls and into said annular portion so that the particles oftobacco follow the action of centrifugal force and move substantiallyradially toward said chamber; and means for withdrawing air through saidannulus so that the tobacco remains in said chamber and forms a rodalong said surface .of the annulus, said closure means having an outletthrough which the rod is discharged from said chamber.

2.. A centrifugal tobacco rod making machine, comprising rotor meansincluding a pair of walls having a common axis of rotation and definingbetween themselves a space having a substantially radially outwardlyextending annular portion; a stator including an annular closure meanssurrounding said walls and defining an annular chamber communicatingwith the radially outermost region of said annular portion; a rotaryforaminous annulus having a first surface adjacent to said chamber and asecond surface, said annulus being disposed in a plane substantially.normal to said axis and said stator having a portion defining an annularchannel at the second surface of said annulus; means for directing astream of tobacco laden air axially through one of said walls and intosaid annular portion so that the particles of tobacco follow the actionof centrifugal force and move substantially radially toward saidchamber; and means for withdrawing air from said channel so that the airflows through said annulus but the tobacco remains in said chamber toform a rod along the first surface of the annulus, said closure meanshaving an outlet through which the rod 7 is discharged from saidchamber.

13 air through said annulus comprises a suction generating deviceconnected with said passage.

4. A machine as set forth in claim 2, further comprising fixed bafiiemeans provided in said channel adjacent to said cutout to preventsuction in said chamber from acting upon that portion of the tobacco rodwhich is discharged from said chamber.

5. A centrifugal tobacco rod making machine, comprising rotor meansincluding a pair of walls having a common axis of rotation and definingbetween themselves a space having a substantially radially outwardlyextending annular portion; a stator including a closure meanssurrounding said walls and defining an annular chamber communicatingwith the radially outermost region of said annular portion; a rotarycarrier coaxial with said rotor means; an annular foraminous memberfixed to said carrier, said foraminous member having a surface adjacentto said chamber and disposed in a plane substantially normal to saidaxis; drive means for rotating said carrier independently of said walls;means for directing a stream of tobacco laden air centrally between saidwalls and into said annular portion so that the particles of tobaccofollow the action of centrifugal force and move substantially radiallytoward said chamber; means for withdrawing air through said foraminousmember so that the tobacco remains in said chamber and forms a rod alongsaid surface of the foraminous member, said closure means having anopening to provide discharge of the tobacco rod from said chamber in adirection substantially tangential to said foraminous member.

6. A centrifugal tobacco rod making machine, comprising rotor meansincluding a pair of walls having a common axis of rotation and definingbetween themselves a space having a substantially radially outwardlyextending annular portion; a stator including an annular closure meanssurrounding said walls and defining an annular chamber communicatingwith the radially outermost region of said annular portion, said sealingmember having a radially inwardly extending first flange and an axiallyextending second flange each bounding one side of said chamber; a rotaryforaminous member adjacent to said chamber and disposed opposite saidfirst flange in a plane substantially normal to said axis; means fordirecting a stream of tobacco laden air into said space; and means forcompelling air to flow through said foraminous member so that thetobacco forms a rod which accumulates in said chamber, said closuremeans having an opening through which the rod is discharged from saidchamber.

7. A machine as set forth in claim 6, wherein said opening is an outletprovided in said second flange, said second flange having a tangentialside face located at the upstream end of said outlet as seen in thedirection of rotation of said foraminous member, and further comprisinga first conveyor having a portion adjacent to said tangential side faceto engage one side of the tobacco rod issuing from said chamber and asecond conveyor engaging another side of the tobacco rod opposite saidfirst conveyor.

8. A machine as set forth in claim 7, further comprising at least oneadditional conveyor for engaging the tobacco rod intermediate said firstand second conveyors, said conveyors together defining a passageway forthe tobacco rod.

9. A mach-inc as set forth in claim 7, wherein at least one of saidconveyors comprises an endless belt and means for driving said belt atthe speed at which the tobacco rod issues from said chamber.

10. A centrifugal tobacco rod making machine, comprising rotor meansincluding a pair of walls having a common axis of rotation and definingbetween themselves a space having a first portion extending centrallythrough one of said walls and a substantially radially outwardlyextending annular portion; a stator including an annular closure meanssurrounding said walls and defining an annular chamber communicatingwith the radially outermost region of said annular portion, said sealingmember and said one wall defining between themselves an annular gapcommunicating with said chamber; a feed for delivering a stream oftobacco laden air into the first portion of said space, said feedincluding an air permeable element surrounded by said stator, saidstator defining a compartment extending between said element and saidgap; a rotary foraminous member adjacent to said chamber opposite saidgap and disposed in a plane substantially normal to said axis; and meansfor withdrawing air from said chamber through said foraminous member andfor thereby drawing air from said air-permeable element and through saidcompartment and said gap whereby the tobacco particles entering saidspace are separated from at least some air and advance substantiallyradially through said annular portion to form in said chamber a tobaccorod which is built up along said foraminous member, said closure meanshaving an opening through which the tobacco rod is dischargedtangentially from said chamber.

11. A machine as set forth in claim 10, wherein said stator is providedwith at least one aperture to admit atmospheric air into saidcompartment and thence into said gap.

12. A machine as set forth in claim 10, wherein said feed includes afeed duct and said air-permeable element is a nipple connecting saidduct with said one wall to admit air from said feed duct into said gap.

13. A centrifugal tobacco rod making machine, comprising rotor meansincluding a pair of walls having a common axis of rotation and definingbetween themselves a space having a substantially radially outwardlyextending annular port-ion, said walls having internal surfaces adjacentto said annular portion and at least one of said surfaces being providedwith projections extending toward but short of the other surface; astator including an annular closure means surrounding said walls anddefining an annular chamber communicating with the radially outermostregion of said annular portion; a rotary foraminous member adjacent tosaid chamber and disposed in a plane substantially normal to said axis;means for directing a stream of tobacco laden air centrally through oneof said walls and into said annular portion; and means for withdrawingair through said foraminous member so that the tobacco forms a rod whichaccumulates in said chamber, said closure means having an openingthrough which the rod is discharged from said chamber.

14. A centrifugal tobacco rod making machine, comprising rotor meansincluding a pair of walls having a common axis of rotation and definingbetween themselves a space having a substantially radially outwardlyextendin-g annular portion; a stator including an annular closure meanssurrounding said walls and defining an annular chamber communicatingwith the radially outermost region of said annular portion, said closuremeans having a radially inwardly extending first .flange and an axiallyextending second flange each bounding one side of said chamber, saidsecond flange having a first outlet, a tangential side face located atthe upstream end of said outlet, and a second outlet located downstreamof said first outlet; a rotary foraminous member adjacent to saidchamber and disposed opposite said first flange in a plane which issubstantially normal to said axis; means for directing a stream oftobacco laden air into said space; means for compelling air to flowthrough said foraminous member so that the tobacco forms a rod whichaccumulates in said chamber and is discharged through said first outlet;a first conveyor having a portion adjacent to said tangential side faceto engage one side of the tobacco rod issuing from said chamber; and asecond conveyor engaging another side of the tobacco rod opposite saidfirst conveyor, said second conveyor including a roller provided in saidchamber and an endless belt trained around said roller and havingstringers extending through said outlets.

15. A machine as set forth in claim 14, wherein the width of said beltapproximates the distance between said first flange and said foraminousmember, said roller being rotatable about a fixed axis which is parallelto said first mentioned axis, the distance between the periphery of saidroller and said first conveyor corresponding to the width of the tobaccorod which issues from said chamber.

16. A centrifugal tobacco rod making machine, comprising rotor meansincluding a pair of walls having a common axis of rotation and definingbetween themselves a space having a substantially radially outwardlyextending annular portion; annular closure means surrounding said walls;a foraminous member disposed in a plane substantially normal to saidaxis and defining with said annular closure means an annular chambercommunicting With the radially outermost region of said annular portion,said annular chamber being defined by plural Wall members at least oneof which is adapted to be rotated about said common axis for efiectingrotation of said rod therewithin; means for rotating said one wallmember and means for compelling air to flow through said foraminousmember so that the tobacco forms a rod Which accumulates in said annularchamber, said closure means having '1 6 an opening through which the rodis discharged from said annular chamber.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,181,229 11/1939Go-och 13121 2,243,703 5/ 1941 Herrmann 13184 2,467,248 4/ 1949 Arelt1311 10x 2,629,385 2/ 1953 Kochalski 131110x 2,835,297 5/1958 Kochalski.3,034,514 5/1962 Pinkham 131-84 3,074,414 1/ 1963- Dearsley 131843,096,770- 7/1963 Dearsley 131--84x 3,170,467 2/1965 DiGiacomo et al.131110x FOREIGN PATENTS 47,720- 9/ 1933 Denmark. 624,871 1/ 1936Germany. 897,551 5/ 1962 Great Britain. 898,405 6/ 1962 Great Britain.

SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH S. REIOH, Examiner.

1. A CENTRIFUGAL TOBACCO ROD MAKING MACHINE, COMPRISING ROTOR MEANSINCLUDING A PAIR OF WALLS HAVING A COMMON AXIS OF ROTATION AND DEFININGBETWEEN THEMSELVES A SPACE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLY OUTWARDLYEXTENDING ANNULAR PORTION; A STATOR INCLUDING AN ANNULAR CLOSURE MEANSSURROUNDING SAID WALLS AND DEFINING AN ANNULAR CHAMBER COMMUNICATINGWITH THE RADIALLY OUTERMOST REGION OF SAID ANNULAR PORTION; A ROTARYFORAMINOUS ANNULUS HAVING A SURFACE ADJACENT TO SAID CHAMBER AND BEINGDISPOSED IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID AXIS; MEANS FORDIRECTING A STREAM OF TOBACCO LADEN AIR AXIALLY THROUGH ONE OF SAIDWALLS AND INTO SAID ANNULAR PORTION SO THAT THE PARTICLES OF TOBACCOFOLLOW THE ACTION OF CENTRIFUGAL FORCE AND MOVE SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLYTOWARD SAID CHAMBER; AND MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING AIR THROUGH SAID ANNULUSSO THAT THE TOBACCO REMAINS IN SAID CHAMBER AND FORMS A ROD ALONG SAIDSURFACE OF THE ANNULUS, SAID CLOSURE MEANS HAVING AN OUTLET THROUGHWHICH THE ROD IS DISCHARGED FROM SAID CHAMBER.